How To Valdez

Knowing how to Valdez is knowing how to do one of the coolest moves in all of breakdancing. A b-boy pulling off a successful Valdez maneuver looks more like a street ninja than a dancer. But linking a Valdez to a series of other complex, high-flying breakdancing moves makes for a kick-ass performance. A successful Valdez makes the dancer look almost weightless, yet at the same time, very powerful. Any serious b-boy out there needs to know how to do these babies. So check out how to Valdez with these simple tips.

The good news is that a Valdez is nowhere near one of the hardest breakdancing moves to pull off. But, just because it's easier in comparison to other, more complicated maneuvers, doesn't mean the Valdez is a walk in the park. No, it's more like a one-handed backflip from a crouching position into a standing one. Sounds cool doesn't it? Well you should see it.

You can actually start the Valdez off in a crouching or standing position. A crouching Valdez leads the dancer from the floor to a standing position in order to continue their dance routine from a standing position. A standing Valdez is a bridge maneuver in that it looks cool and it keeps the routine going while setting you up for more moves in the standing position. Regardless of how you start, one thing remains constant: your legs are the starting point for pulling off any successful variation of a Valdez.

Spring back. Keep your legs shoulder-length apart. If standing, quickly crouch and spring backwards. Lean your upper half of your body back as far as you can. The same goes if you're crouching. Push off the ground with your legs while leaning backwards. Make sure that you're leaning towards a certain side. Be it the left or right, it doesn't matter. It does, however, make a difference in which arm you'll use next.

Which way you spring back will determine what arm you use in this second phase of the Valdez. For instance, if you lean back to the right, naturally the right arm will be needed to continue the maneuver. Take your arm and while you're leaning, swing it up and back. At the end of your back lean, your hand should touch the floor. With your arm, push to the opposite side while bringing your other arm back. At this point you should be in a handstand position. Position your legs to land squarely on your feet. With both of your hands firmly planted on the ground, push back again and land on your feet.

Practice. You may fall a few times or even land a little awkwardly. But after you practice a little, the Valdez is one of the simpler, yet cooler moves to pull off. The next step would be incorporating it into your dance routine. This will take some practice. Your routine needs to look seamless. There should be no slowdown from the beginning of the Valdez up to your transition into another set of moves. But, as they say, practice makes perfect. Or in this case, practice makes for a cool routine.